XPages Extension Library ... now with Bluemix

Posted by Martin Donnelly on July 13, 2015

Although this is the thirteenth release
of the XPages Extension Library release for Notes/Domino 9.0.1, and I am
composing this release blog entry on the July 13th, the superstitious amongst
you would do well to set aside any nagging anxieties and install this latest
version right away. Why? Because it's got exciting new content that will
enable you to develop Domino applications in the cloud! This Extension
Library release goes out in parallel with the public unveiling of the XPages
runtime and IBM XPages NoSQL Database service on Bluemix - see https://console.ng.bluemix.net/catalog/labs
- so now you not only have a premier cloud platform to develop on, but
all the tools with which to do it ... what's not to like ?

Once you have installed the Extension
Library into Domino Designer you will notice a new Bluemix entry under
the Domino Designer preference page. This will enable you to connect to
Bluemix and integrate applications with your cloud development space. Exploring
further, you will find new wizards under the Tools menu to help you pull
and push your apps over and back to Bluemix, and there is also a new editor
that will enable you to optimally configure your Domino Bluemix development
environment. And that's just the tooling! In the XPages runtime you will
find a new bluemixContext
class amongst the set of standard global objects. This class is your new
best friend as it gives you granular control over your application behaviour
at runtime, helps you manage your bound services, enables you to build
a single app that will run both on-cloud and on-premises, and so forth.
So... lots to see and do here, and more detail is available in the readme
file included in this release.

Outside of Bluemix you have enhancements
to our Bootstrap-based responsive design offering, which continues to steadily
evolve after its initial release last November (901v00_10.20141105-0922).
Fixes are also included for issues reported with respect to DAS (REST services)
and the XPages iNotes calendar control.

Your feedback on all the content included
in this release is, as always, very important. Be aware that the XPages
runtime, service and boilerplate on Bluemix are all experimental at this
stage. Among other things an experimental offering means it is intended
for prototyping and testing only, and not for production applications.
Questions and answers can be posed and fielded here on OpenNTF,
or on StackOverflow
and IBM developerWorks...
and we look forward to working with you to improve this offering as the
year progresses.